So San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the playing of the so-called national anthem during a preseason football game between the 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. In a press statement, Kaepernick indicated that he intentionally refused to stand because he will not "honor a flag that represents a country that oppresses (Black) people." As you would expect, the aftermath of Kaepernick's decision has been a barrage of hate and threats from so-called fans and that's before any potential discipline is meted out against him by the National Football League. This morning, I've read several accounts by people berating Kaepernick as an idiot while calling for him to be suspended from playing football or even prohibited from playing at all. I recall when former National Basketball Association player Maumoud Abdul Rauf made the same political statement in 1997 and there was a national campaign launched against him. Led mostly by our European (White) family members, people all over the country participated in jersey burning ceremonies whenever Rauf's team came to town. And the threats and verbal harassment aimed at Rauf during games caused the league to have to enact more strict security measures until a compromise was reached with Rauf over his stance. Since America is even more backward today than it was 19 years ago, we can expect Kaepernick to experience similar trauma for taking such a bold stand.

I'm thinking about Kaepernick and what he is about to go through this morning. Full disclosure, I was born and raised in San Francisco, very close to the former Candlestick Park where the 49ers played until two seasons ago. I spent my youth going to Candlestick for 49er and Giants baseball games. I still love football and the 49ers are still my favorite team. I have plenty of stress in my life and I've learned that its essential that I find balance. Watching the 49ers play is one of the things I've enjoyed doing my entire life so despite the fact my values are obviously much different than they were when I was a child, I still follow the team. After several sub-par years, I was excited when Kaepernick became the 49ers Quarterback in 2012 and I became a huge fan of his when he led them to the Super Bowl that year and then within five yards of another Super Bowl in 2013. His play has gradually dropped off since then and even before this flag incident, it hasn't been certain what his future will be with the 49ers, yet he was still my favorite and I was still pulling for him. And all of that was there before he took this principled stand. What I'm saying is he was already my favorite active football player, but that was it. He was simply someone I took a few minutes here and there in my life to engage with as a way of bringing some distraction and joy my way. Now, I respect him as a human being for taking the stance he has taken. Fortunately, large numbers of people follow this blog, but I know the chances of Kaepernick himself reading this are rare. Still, I hope that somehow in the universe, he can feel the support I want to send his way.

If he could see this, I want to tell him, and all athletes, entertainers, and others who make a living entertaining people within this capitalist system, that their fame and success results only from the struggle of the masses of our people. Without that struggle, regardless of how individually talented they are, they would not have the opportunity they have to make millions of dollars. So, in essence, their positions don't belong to them personally. Their positions belong to the masses of African people. This is true for any African in any position, but so often, we are forced to face the multitudes of unconscious celebrities who see their rise to fame as strictly the result of themselves and their abilities. That great son of Africa, Sekou Ture, told us that it is the masses of people who shape our culture and the entertainers are simply the conduits from which the culture of the masses should be expressed. So, it is with that understanding that we salute Colin Kaepernick for his bold stance and we want him to know that we will support him regardless of what the capitalist system does to try and re-chain him. His stance is a correct stance. America is without question a nation that has been built on the theft of Indigenous land and the enslavement of African people. The entire economy of this country was established based on our enslavement and it continues to be maintained based on the subjugation of African resources. This is the exact reason why Africans are shot down in the street because the African masses in the U.S., as is the case with the African masses in Europe, Canada, Australia, etc., are the X factor in challenging each of those country's reliance on cheap African resources and labor to maintain its wealth. Its a wealth that is in great jeopardy because of the continual decline of the capitalist system. As people around the world continue to push against the system it continues to weaken. As a result, the state must strengthen its efforts to control the people and repression is all the system has left to maintain its grip on power. As this phenomenon becomes more and more obvious to more people, thanks in large part to social media, people in the limelight like Colin Kaepernick are pushed more and more to take a side. Some people like singer/producer Pharrell and actress Stacy Dash take the house slave approach where they make statements designed to appease the master and cement their stability within the capitalist system as good slaves. A select group of more principled persons like Marshawn Lynch a couple of years ago, the women of the Women's National Basketball Association this year, and Kaepernick now, take bold stances based on truth. Its especially so for Kaepernick because of the previously expressed instability his career is currently facing. Plus, to take an action against the flag, the symbol of pride for backward thinking people loyal to imperialism, is a direct assault against the capitalist system that you can rest assured will generate the full wrath of the slave master. This clarifies even more the reason Kaep deserves support and respect because he took his stand despite the huge risks his action will cause him. Marshawn Lynch was the best running back in the game when he refused to talk to reporters at the Super Bowl in 2014. Kaepernick is fighting for the job right now in professional football. So his decision to take this stand right now speaks to all the integrity that defines our movement for peace and justice as a people.

So, we definitely salute you Colin and we encourage you to stand strong in the face of all the reactionary garbage that's going to come your way. They will be telling you to go back to Africa. When they do, hopefully, you can know that they are the descendants of thieves which means they don't own anything here that we are obligated to respect. Besides, as was mentioned, this "greatness" they tell you to leave is only whatever it is because of that theft and the continued exploitation of our national homeland - Africa. Once we build our capacity to regain our homeland - Pan-Africanism - we will have the national power to determine our own destiny. This will mean many of us will no longer see the need to maintain this fake "support" for U.S. imperialism. When this day comes, most of these backward Europeans and their trained negropeans will be begging us to permit them to come to Africa to get our quality of life. So, when they tell you to go back to Africa, tell them that you will once you are able to take all the riches they are stealing back with you. And, for good measure, once that happens, they can take their broke @sses back to Europe. All those people are nothing, but cheap hypocrites anyway Kaep. They swear they represent freedom, but then they want to lynch you for speaking out for justice. And they are so stupid they don't even realize how naked their hypocrisy is for the entire world to witness. It's always been that way and it will always be that way. That's why I have never stood for their national anthem going back to the 1970s. It has caused problems for me in jobs, etc., but so be it. I raised my daughter the same way and when she was a public school teacher a few years ago in California, it caused problems for her as well, but so be it. Frederick Douglas told us correctly that "without struggle, there is no progress." Another African proverb a women in Africa told me many years ago is "even a dead fish can swim with the current."

We sincerely hope you can regain your starting position as Quarterback and that you can lead the 49ers to greatness again. We wanted that before all of this happened with their rag, I mean flag. Now, we want to support you as a human being who has taken such an important stand. We are with you. Before, once your football career ended, we would probably have never thought much about you after that. Now, we will continue to educate our youth about your courage and sacrifices. We just hope that you can know that what you are doing is really not a sacrifice, but the fulfillment of your responsibility and commitment as a solid citizen of the planet Earth. Thank you.

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I don't see disagreement as a negative because I understand that Frederick Douglass was correct when he said "there is no progress without struggle." Our brains are muscles. Just like any other muscle in our body if we don't stress it and push it, the brain will not improve. Or, as a bumper sticker I saw once put it, "If you can't change your mind, how do you know it's there?"